Honor 5X review! Beauty, Brains, and Body!

When I first got wind of the new Honor 5X, I said to myself...there is no way!  But I was wrong, they actually pulled if off.  This is my review, of the Honor 5X.


I want to get straight to it, and talk about what I like about the device.  Let's start with the screen, I'll just say it's GREAT!  Coming in at 1080p on this gorgeous 5.5 inch display, they made it look easy.  Now I've got several phones with the same size, and resolution.  But they just don't look the same, I mean this screen is really good.  The screen on the Honor 5X is flat out nice, super clear and crystal clear.  Viewing angles are very solid in my time with the phone, and look good in the direct sunlight too.

The Body, oh boy that BODY!  Some how the Honor 5X has pulled a fast one on us, and gave us a premium body.  You've heard if before, but I'll say it again...it feels great in the hand.  On the back of the phone, the top and bottom are plastic so all the antennas can work as they should for signals.  But after that, we are talking full blown metal build quality.  Textured volume and power buttons, with smooth curves, and a strong frame say it all.

Cameras, and it just keeps getting better with this phone.  The Front camera in my testing is very solid, and the back is great!  Pictures come out clear, and are not blown out when used for taking photos or video.  Settings are simple, and the phones has a nice shutter time.

Fingerprint reader!  This is where I think the phones gets really good, considering the price point of just $200 unlocked off contract.  The fingerprint reader is fast, and very accurate like it's bigger cousin (Nexus 6P).

Software on the device is also very nice, and clean.  It's right in your face, love it or hate it.  Some people get all caught up in the 'No App Tray' thing, but to me it's a good thing on this phone.  The EMUI 3.1 Skin is a nice tough, but I will admit some might not like it.  If they are used to having an app tray, a third party launcher can be installed.  I did not have any issue with stutter or lag, in fact it ran like a champ with the 2GB's of RAM!  Memory is at 16GB, but you can install an SD card and call it a day (problem solved).   Swipe up from the body, and Google Now launches.  Swipe down from the top, and you are hit with your notifications or settings.  Simple!

Battery life on the Honor 5X will take you through a full day, and then some.  Really, I do mean this.  I am a heavy user, and I can make it all the way through a day with battery to spare.   YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and lots of web browsing.  Ending my day with about 30% every time.  Need some real battery saving time, turn on Ultra Power saving mode, and your phone will sip it like a hot cup of tea (lasting you well over 50 hours).


Now there are two areas where I think might need some help, and that's the speaker and WiFi. The speaker is on the bottom, and it sounds pretty good.  Not the loudest and will work for you, but just don't expect to hear boom sound here folks.  The WiFi is only 2.4ghz, and that something I just don't use anymore.  But I do understand, that at this price point some things we just can't have.

My final thoughts on this phone, well...you won't find another phone with these features at this price point, that will be worth buying.   From the price, build quality, cameras, fingerprint reader, you name it...you can't find one!  If I had to rate this phone, it would get a 9.5/10.  For the lack of 5ghz WiFi.  Huawei did a GREAT job on this phone, and they deserve a BIG slap on the back for giving us what we need and want in a device.

See the video and photo below, as I put it next to some of my other phones with the same size screen.

For $499 the Huawei made Nexus 6P is beautiful!

There is no denying that the Huawei made Nexus 6P is beautiful, and just looks amazing! With a starting price of $499, you actually get a really nice package in a smartphone.  

The design of the Nexus 6P looks stunning, but only in the aluminum finish in my opinion. Because that particular model looks the most premium, and really stands on.  The screen on the 6P is gorgeous to say the least, and is sure to please while using for any media content.  Videos, games, web browsing, etc you will find yourself extremely pleased.  Coming in at 5.7 inches, it sharp at 1440X2560.  On either side of the screen, there's a speaker. Which provides sound you would not believe, until you have listened to them yourself.  

When it comes to software, it's a Nexus device! Enough said right? You are guaranteed to get all the updates, and you will have no bloatware from carriers.  Buttery smooth, and works without a hitch.  

Camera on the 6P could be labeled as one of the best, but that's a stretch.  The software is minimal, and leaves much to be desired to be honest.  However, when it comes to just taking photos it will get the job done.  I would have liked to see more control, that's all.  But sometimes less is more, right?  

With Android 6.0 battery life should be improved, and I'll give more test on that later.  So far, this device will make it through a full day.  The new doze feature is a much needed one, that should have been introduced long ago.  None the less, it's here so let's all enjoy long standby times now! Thanks Google!

Now that fingerprint scanners are the norm, we should see the popping up all lots of new devices in the near future.  Setup is ready easy and fast, and this is one of the fastest fingerprint readers you will use on a phone.  The placement of it is great too, as it seems so natural.

It's a big phone, kinda talk but not too big for my taste.  I like large phones, and could only see myself using at least a 5.5 inch screen going forward.  Anything less, just doesn't feel right.  Some might say not having the SD card option, and removable battery is a bad thing. But honestly I'm over it, because if the phone had at least 32gb of onboard storage I'm good to go.  My cloud storage exceeds 3TB, so no complaints here.

With a specs like the following, it's a good deal.

5.7 inch 1440X2560 display

32, 64, 128gb memory options

12mp camera w/laser auto focus

Thin frame and body

Premium build quality

3450mAh battery

LTE on all US carries

Fingerprint scanner

3GB of RAM

Snapdragon 810

USB Type C

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi